


If There Is Mercy

by kuiske



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:37:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuiske/pseuds/kuiske
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>His axe falls from his limp hand, useless, and he takes the hardest steps of his life. To Thorin’s side, one last time, an eternity too late.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	If There Is Mercy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Saetha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saetha/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, Selina! Have a (belated) Christmas present. Or a Christmas revenge. Either's good...

Dwalin has seen his share of death. But there is nothing, _nothing_ that could’ve prepared him for this.

_Please. Please no. Please not this, please have mercy._

His axe falls from his limp hand, useless, and he takes the hardest steps of his life. To Thorin’s side, one last time, an eternity too late. He collapses on his knees without grace. With a shaking hand he reaches to touch Thorin’s arm, then to stroke the dark hair matted with sweat and blood, echoes of a thousand such gestures in life. Echoes, just echoes now…

_Please I can’t do this, it’s too much, I can’t-_  


He feels like he should be crying, but he is numb all over and the tears won’t come. Distantly he recognises Dori snarling at someone. Dori of all people, voice dripping fury.

“Don’t you **dare** go near them, not a word from **you** , you have **no** right. Don’t you dare even **look** at them, you, you **rotten** -“

Dwalin doesn’t have it in him to care. His world has shrunk down to ice tearing into his knees, ice stealing away the last warmth left in Thorin’s body, ice settling down in his heart.

_Please, come back._

If there is mercy, enough of Thorin’s soul still lingers here for him to know Dwalin by his side. Soft caresses, fingers trembling, he tries to find a way to reach across, somehow, across death to someplace where Thorin can still feel his touch. Pull him back, and if he can't, if he can’t bleed life back into him, please let him feel him still. If there is mercy…

But by now he should know better than to ask for mercy, there is none for them, and no answered prayers either.

By now he should know there’s nothing so important that it can’t be taken away.

_Please..._

Dwalin prays anyway. Desperate, with convulsive touches that shall never be felt again and never returned, he prays, or begs, until he doesn’t know the difference anymore. (Maybe there never was one.)

He has no words, not good enough, never had. 

There _are_ no words. Not for this.

~~_I love you, please don’t leave me here alone. Please, I love you, please forgive me, I’m sorry. I love you, I love you, I love you._ ~~

  
_Let him have known without being told._

_Please_

_Let him have known._

_Let him have known._  



End file.
